“The nature of the religious office which I hold neither requires nor is expected by the members of my community, to be an institution whose existence is restricted to spiritual leadership. On the contrary, history and the correct interpretation of the Imamat require that the Imam, while caring first of all for the spiritual well being of his people, should also be continuously concerned with their safety and their material progress.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce in Zurich, Switzerland
January 14, 1976
Speech at AKDN
1973 to 1977
Mawlana Hazar Imam
- laid the foundation of Karimabad Maternity Home, Pakistan (1976).
- established Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1977).
- inaugurated The Institute of Ismaili Studies (1977).
presided over
- the fourth conference of world presidents of Ismailia Associations in Paris (1975).
- the opening of Nairobi Serena Hotel by President Kenyatta (1976).
- the first World Ismaili Leaders Forum with Sir Eboo Pirbhai as Chairman (1977).
addressed
- the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce in Zurich on the Role of Private Initiative in Developing Countries (1976). Speech at AKDN.
- the Seerat Conference in Pakistan (1976). Speech at IIS.
visited
- Jamats in Kenya (1976), Pakistan (1976).
Other events
Mawlana Hazar Imam
- attended Kenya’s tenth independence anniversary celebration as a guest of the government (1973).
- made a ten-day state visit to Bangladesh (1977).
For titles and honours bestowed upon Mawlana Hazar Imam, visit AKDN or view the matrix.
Selected World Events: 1973 to 1977
- The Concorde, the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (SST), made its first transatlantic crossing (1973).
- Motorola introduced the first hand held cellular phone (1973).
- Home videotape systems (VCRs) are developed in Japan by Sony (Betamax) (1975) and Matsushita (VHS) (1976).
- The first cooperative human space flight project between the United States and the Soviet Union (1975).
- The personal computer – MITS Altair 8800 – was introduced (1975).
- The Steadicam, a brand of camera stabilizer, was invented (1975).
- Israeli commandos attack Uganda’s Entebbe Airport and freed 103 hostages held by pro-Palestinian hijackers of an Air France aircraft (1976).
- Cosmic string theory first postulated by Thomas Kibble (1976).
- First Star Wars movie in theatres (1977).
- Prince Sadruddin established the The Bellerive Foundation in Switzerland (1977).
Sources:
Hikmat, July 1977 and December 1986
The Ismaili Canada, various issues
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
Ismailimail 
Thank you for sharing, as always there is so much to learn from these e-mails about cultures and values of life,
and much more. Looking forward to the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.
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